Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A53490
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Historical memoires on the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James
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Osborne, Francis, 1593-1659.
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1658
(1658)
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Wing O515; ESTC R23008
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34,729
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132
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her husbands sicknesse and before her owne Kingdome was setled or any considerable force manifested in her favour It not pleasing France it selfe of whose King she was after the Relict to see all Britanny united under one Crowne and from whence dropped so much of the venome of Iealousy into the hearts of Elizabeth and her Counsell as no meanes was left unsought likely to distresse her especially by the Puritan party whose safety lay in her destruction and who shunned no undecency carrying any probability of being instrumentall in her remove forgetting that the persons of Princes have been thought by all wise men too sacred to have any hand or Iustice appeare in their death but Gods Now as these studied all waies to destroy her so there was as considerable a Faction in the English Court that desired her preservation the cause not only that held her long captive many wishing her restraint that abhorred her execution but deterred all who had either estate or honour to loose from attempting in their owne person or conniving at any other likely to be so wicked as to make her away though our Queene may be found in many of her Letters intimating so much to such as kept her who were so wise as not to understand what was meant else they might have fallen into the fortune of Davison who unadvisedly ventering between the honour and safety of his Prince was ground to nothing betwixt the fury of one party and shame of the other Thus because no body either would or durst do it alone the reproach was intayled upon the whole Nation by the apparition of a minicall and counter feit Iustice Reason of State in such nice points as these being so contrary to that in the Schooles as it is most safe and honourable when it hath the least Authority to vouch it And if the Actors of this Tragedy had not found more security from the long reigne of Elizabeth then the applause they had from Scotland was able to have afforded them upon the next change I believe so many of their race had not sate in the house of Lords Nor was the amorous rather then traiterous blood of the Duke of Norfolke spilt on the scaffold for her sake more consonant to Iustice or the affections of her Subjects though quietly indured as a number of other particulars which happened in her time that were not able to make answer or give a perfect account some to Iustice others to Discretion This proves that the common people are like rivers which do seldome grow so impetuous as to transcend the banks of Obedience but upon the overflowing of an epidemicall and illegall Oppression 5. Not to wade any farther in this the greatest blur I find objected to her honour or prudence of those assisted at the helme whose miscarriage lay more in the Ceremony then substance of the thing no lesse gratefull to the present affayres of the Protestants in Scotland then England it being the policy of those times as I believe it ought to be of these to rendâ—â— Alliance no lesse acceptable to friends then terrible to enimies through a seasonable supply of men and mony before delay the betrayer of all confederations hath rendered affayres desperate not oâ—itted by her who by sea and land â—ade it her constant practice to anâ—oy the Spaniard through the conâ—uct of those Sonnes of Neptune Drake Furbusher Cavendish S r VValter Rawly c. and in that sucâ—essefull first expedition to Cales â—nder the Command of Essex a â—an of a contexture not only sutaâ—le to a Camp but gratefull to Laâ—ies by which the Catholick King was so unexpectedly alarum'd as Cardinall D'Ossat ownes it for the most universall Opinion that the whole Nation or a great part of it might have been gained had he prosecuted his immediate fortune to the extent of their feares a number of the Morisco race desiring in that Iuncture to change their master for one more Christian though lesse Catholick and under whom no Inquisition was exercised This made his coming back so soone thought as miraculous as his successe by those that were strangers to his Commission which he exceeded upon the temptation of a present terrour his landing caused in the Inhabitants who in a confidence of their Castles had removed none of their goods which rendered the booty so farre considerable as few returned empty handed and many by there future living made demonstration of so great an abundance that he gained so much love on all sides as his enimies durst not impute to him for a fault any direction he had transgressed in being too prodigall in exposing himselfe and the Army to danger though his abusing that Article of making knights so apparently had produced this Libell A Gentleman of Wales VVith a Knight at Cales And a Lord of the North country A yeoman of Kent Upon a rack't Rent VVill buy them out all three This happy successe did not only estate him in the affections of the Militia and those addicted to the service of Mars but put a no lesse high esteeme on his counsells and indeavours then it abated the price of his opposers the most of whom belonged to the side-robe not seldome at odds in warre but ever at enmity with souldiers during peace who grew jealous that this sparke worne already in the same place of the Queenes affection from whence Lecester that terrestriall Lucifer was cast for abusing his Soveraignes favour to pride and Murther might through the Queenes mediation or his owne arts one day gaine the Crowne to the prejudice of their interest who had already vowed the uttermost of their indeavours to the Scotish Title of whom he had this advantage that whereas Lecester was hated by the people for the death of many and amongst the rest of the Earle of Essex his Father in Ireland this abounded in their Love no lesse then in the favour of his Prince in whose heart his person had made as deep an impression as his valour and affable nature had wonne upon her Subjects 6. That she fomented Divisions abroad I hinted before And now I must tell you she was not wanting in her indeavours to maintaine Factions at home by which she attained to the knowledge of all things that happened so as no suite or designe passed the royall assent before she understood as much of reason as enemies or friends could bring for and against it hearing the judgments of all to her very Ladies and ordinary Servants nor did this freedome of communication betray her future resolutions to discovery for through a seeming unconstancy or as others will have it one more naturall she did so often vary as it was not easy to discover where or when she would conclude her buzzing and give the blow by which unsteady carriage she so befooled the Spyes and Pensioners of forraine Princes as they were at a losse what to informe their Patrons of or themselves how to resolve The cause of the Spanish Armado in
Father and Brother and therefore farre more unbecoming the person of a Woman the cause a Declaration was not long after issued out to shew in what senses it was to be understood And to prove they more intended the limitation of the Roman power then to secure themselves from Tyranny at home an Act was passed inabling the Queene and Commissioners for the time being to alter or bring what Ceremontes or Worship they thought decent into the service of God without excepting that formerly exploded whereby a returne likelyest to be made use of or a farther remoove was left arbitrary at the will of the Queene whose successors not being mentioned in the Act left roome to question It ought to be no longer in force then her life For whose gratification alone her Privy Counsell that did then and indeed almost all her time governe Parliaments had intended it But King Iames and the Bishops finding the Advantage it brought the Crowne no lesse then the Church did not only owne it amongst the Statutes unrepealled and in force but did print it with a Proclamation to strengthen it at the beginning of the book of Common Prayer Neither had the high Commission any better vizard to face the Tyranny daily practised by the Clergy but what the authority this Act did afford which may one day tempt the people to a new if not a more dismall Reformation after experience hath taught them how pernitious it is to intrust either Prince or Priest with any power capable of abuse yet to the honour of this Princesse it may justly be said that she never made use of her owne liberty to inslave the nation but repaid or rather exceeded in thanks and acknowledgments all power they gave her an Art lost in these latter times or thought unkingly But I leave this her wisdome to be justified by the happy successe 4. After the Queen had in Parliament cleansed her birth from all the spots the poyson of tongues had aspersed her with and received for the future from the Houses in the name of the three Estates a promise of Assistance together with an Oath of Obedience by which she might rest secure from within her next indeavour was to line and fortify her out-workes In the prosecution of which she was forced through Reason of State upon a deeper ingratitude then I believe any thing but an impulsive necessity could have cast her into For after a firme settlement she became the severest Scourge to Spaine that it ever had since emancipated from the Moors The occasion of which some lay at the haughty and proud Gate of the Spaniard who grew implacable after he found he was deluded of his hope to marry her others to a nature residing in all Princes not to acknowledge any friends or kindred but what are allied to a capacity of doing them some future good which Philip the second was not likely to do upon any remoter occasion then the possession of her person his ends being intent upon an absolute Monarchy which obliged not only England but all the Princes in Europe to oppose him Nor could any favour received in the relation of a private person bind her more to requitall then greater injuries did to revenge Therefore since she forgave the latter when she had power to have taken it without danger she seemes more excusable in omitting the first which could not have beene done without losse and exposing her subjects to a visible inconvenience if not a totall rume Yet this is manifest in the histories on both sides that the Queene did by way of mediation long indeavour for a milder Governing of his Dutch Subjects of whose oppression both Heaven and Earth ape witnesses before a Sword was drawne in their defence And for the Treasure taken at Sea and at first owned but as borrowed it was not more then the Faith of England might have been a sufficient security for without being made the subject of a warie Nor did the Catholike King remaine long in a condition able to distresse the affayres of England his power being diverted through a malecontented party that stood up for Religion in the Netherlands at first fomented by France and after more cordially assisted by our Queene who delighted more from her first assumption to power in raising broyles and making her selfe an arbitrator of others differences then in any quarrell contracted of her owne by which she did not only keep her selfe in plight at home by sparing mony harder parted with by the English then bloud but gained so much reputation abroad as no publique or private indeavours of his holinesse could stop other nations already scandalized at his base and unworthy Iugling in the Council from confirming or making new or straighter Leagues with England then formerly they had done looking upon her Defection as a president they might one day be forced to follow in case the Court of Rome continued still her Contumacy towards Princes And therefore likelier to meet her with comfort and assistance then any force to oppose her From whence his Holinesse was necessitated in vindication of his honour to imploy the Iesuits his owne emissaries by Artifice Poyson or the Knife to bring about that his sword was not able to execute so as the peace of her Kingdome was at first more interrupted through privy Conspiracies then open force which according to the guise of all unsuccessefull Treasons turned to the disadvantage of themselves and their party the poore Catholickes against whom nothing in relation to the generality remaines upon due proofe sufficient to justify the severity of the Lawes daily enacted and put in execution against them wherewith they were ground in pieces between the Popes Obstinacy and a Ielousy these practises bred in there naturall Prince by whom they were without question prosecuted rather out of feare then malice which his Holinesse at length perceiving did offer what he denied which was to confirme her Title and ratify the use of the Common-Prayer with the most of what the Parliament had confirmed upon her provided she would receive them as favours from the Apostolicall Sea But after this his too late compliance had cast him into their condition that have unadvisedly out stood the Market he in no shallower Malice then dispaire cast not only the person of the Queene but the whole Nation under a bottomlesse Interdict which was thundered out at Rome and hung like squib by one Felton upon the Bishop of London's Gate where after the execution of the party that did it all other malignancy ceased but what fell upon his owne creatures who till then were not forbidden to communicate in publique service with the Church of England and so harder to be discovered then since this open rupture Nor was the Queene of Scots whose Tragicall History is to be found every where written at large more obliged to her Catholick Father through whose inoouragement she was tempted to assume the Title and Armes of England very unseasonably during